Artist Update: New Orleans Airlift (Music Box)

New Orleans Airlift (Music Box) was a 2010 Black Rock Arts Foundation Grantee — check out what they’re up to now!

The New Orleans Airlift announces their newest and most ambitious musical architecture project, The Roving Village Residencies. The opening concert for the first residency is happening this weekend!

(There will also be an Artist Roundtable on April 5th at 6 p.m.!)

In 2010, the Black Rock Arts Foundation (BRAF, now Burning Man Arts) saw an opportunity to support Airlift’s vision of creating a house that was not only liveable, but also made up of playable instruments. We’re pleased to see how far the Airlift’s projects have come, while including renowned artists and local communities along the way!

With generous support from The Helis Foundation, Airlift’s new interactive kinetic musical structures will take up residence for weeks at a time in “unexpected sites” around New Orleans. There will be performances, artist talks, educational workshops, and free interactive opening hours where members of the public can bring the musical houses to life!

The first residency will be located at an abandoned golf course in City Park, New Orleans. It includes Swoon’s first musical house built in collaboration with local master blacksmith Darryl Reeves.

Come to the opening concert for The Music Box Roving Village: City Park Presented by the Helis Foundation:

Roving Village Orchestra
April 3 & 4, 2015 (2 sets each night)
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Located at these coordinates in City Park: 29.999130, -90.089878
(Or simply turn on to Harrison Ave off of Wisner Blvd and look for the concert on your left!)

The concert will be conducted by New York City’s William Parker, an incredible improviser, composer and hero of the free jazz community.

Featured musicians include:

• Swamp-pop legend Quintron,
• Celebrated Haitian-American singer songwriter Leyla McCalla,
• Music Box veteran Rob Cambre,
• Marion Tortorich of up and coming local band Sweet Crude,
• Glenn Barbaro of Egg Yolk Jubilee,
• The powerful vocalist Tank of Tank and the Bangas
• Cooper Moore, another jazz master from New York.

To get your tickets for the concert, click here.

The musical houses will be open to the public during the following times (at the same location as the concert):

April 3 – May 10, 2015
12 p.m. – 6 p.m. (Friday – Sunday, excluding performance days)

More concerts will be announced throughout the run of the residency, so keep your eyes and ears open for super secret performances by legendary Jazz Fest musicians, pop up performances, and a closing concert on May 8th and 9th!

Stay tuned by signing up for the newsletter here (click “Subscribe” at the bottom of the page), and follow the New Orleans Airlift on Facebook!